1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator having a housing, an electric motor arranged in a chamber of the housing, and a gear mechanism which is connected on the input side to the shaft of the electric motor and on the output side to an actuating element, the gear mechanism being arranged in a second chamber of the housing, which second chamber is closed by a cover.
2. Related Art
Actuators of this type are known from motor vehicles as throttle valve controllers, exhaust gas valves or controllers for actuating valves or flaps. The motor shaft is, as a rule, arranged parallel to the shaft that supports the actuating element, in particular the flap. Both shafts are connected to one another via the gear mechanism. The gear mechanism and the electric motor are arranged in each case in separate chambers of the housing. The chambers serve to receive and protect the respective assembly. On account of the different fields of use, different electric motors, gear mechanisms and actuating elements are used. The housing therefore has to be adapted to the components and installation conditions, in particular in the region of the actuating element. In particular, the various gear mechanism designs cause the cross section of the second chamber and therefore also the cover to vary greatly. This results in a considerable variety of housings, with the result that the housings manufactured by casting are expensive on account of the low numbers produced per housing shape, which applies in the same way to the cover of the second chamber.